This invention relates to a locking device for excavating equipment and, more particularly, to a device including a C-shaped clamp member and a wedge member useful in securing an adapter to the lip of a shovel dipper bucket, etc.
This invention is related to the co-pending application of Frederick C. Hahn and Larren F. Jones, Ser. No. 112,160, filed Jan. 16, 1980 to which reference may be made for additional details of construction not specified here.
For years, workers in the excavating tooth fastening art have been entrigued by the idea of using corrugated pins and locks to develop greater holding power in the lock. In this connection, reference may be made to co-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,126,654 and 4,061,432. In some instances, the art workers have gone to a ratchet type of corrugation--see U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,932--because of the ease of installation but the greater resistance to inadvertent disassembly. However, conventional ratchets as seen in the '932 patent are unsatisfactory because when it does comes time to disassemble, this is very difficult.
The mutually exclusive problems of good, strong holding power during operation yet easy disassembly when desired have been reconciled according to the instant invention which makes use of a unique lock engaging the ratchet which is partly metal and partly resilient material such as rubber and which is conveniently upsetable when disassembly is indicated.